Design Notes

“In many ways my entire life is an achievement outside the expectation. I grew up very far away from the lifestyle I have today as an immigrant child with parents living off the social welfare system... certainly not an expected...

“...The biggest personal milestone aside from my beautiful children has been finding my inner confidence, my own voice and essentially my own style. All those things I had questioned for so many years. I dropped out of school at 16,...

“When I first started my blog aged 22 and started to put myself out there… I felt quite a lot of negativity and judgement from peripheral friends. I had to really put the blinkers on and pretend no one I...

“My biggest achievement is to have been able to find my voice and express my stories without trying to please anyone. What you see at Maison Balzac is my true, honest perception of the world.” - Elise Pioch Balzac French-born, Sydney-based,...

Having followed her trajectory almost since its beginning,  we wanted to chat a little more with Rachel Donath about how she lives, the interior objects she loves and the things that she can’t live without.

“When it comes to visualizing the potential of creating a positive impact, my childhood has played a large role. I have gone through my life with so much gratitude for the opportunities that came with being granted asylum to the...

“My clients are people who understand that…I am selling my time and my instruction, but what I am also selling is every book I have read, every movie scene I have been influenced by, every concert I have been an...

“Storytelling is woven through everything I do… I believe that when you follow your passions, the energy that goes into your work is woven with this magic...” - Amanda Shadforth Amanda Shadforth is an artist in the purest sense. Her’s...

“I have loved every minute of my life—the tough parts of growing a business are really what you look back on and reflect on as the best years.” - Natasha Schweitzer    While design runs in her blood, Natasha Schweitzer...

“I am proud of myself for listening closely to that quiet whisper of instinct and for taking a chance on what I love.” - Ashley Kane Harper While many of us found inspiration in mood boards made of magazine tears,...

Donath believes the most striking spaces convey a confident expression of the personalities and people who inhabit it. They're anything but cookie cutter. Which is something that can be said about the quality furniture that's become synonymous with her name. It's objects as art. Slow furnishings. Quality pieces made in good conscience and with intention.

“{What are my personal and creative rituals?} Playing my beautiful Grand Piano. Always by myself - it's my personal time. Nothing makes me happier.” - Jason Jones Jason M. Jones knows a thing or two about savoir-faire. Owner of Melbourne’s iconic...

“The most important factors in my success are personalization, consistency, honesty, and speed. This combination has been vital to the development and growth of my business.” - Gab Waller Queen of the coveted, Gab Waller has reduced the little black...

The 3rd collection of the Rachel Donath brand and the second of her own design, FORME is a bold ensemble of sculptural silhouettes. Each of the five new editions honour her ethos of ‘objects as art’ to become timeless modern...

"I wanted a room that opens the imagination up, fosters wonder and encourages a little girl's magic. " - Rachel Donath Emotionally and physically, here is where we are right now: a moment in time that for any creative is...

By choice or circumstance, many of us live - or have lived - in small spaces. From inner city apartments to homes that are renovated within the limitation of narrow grounds, the challenge of small space styling becomes as much...

Bold interiors, full of colour and contrast, have returned to centre stage. In a sharp shift from the neutral tones we have become used to, there’s an uptake of the vivid in a kaleidoscope of the eclectic that sees pattern on pattern...

Two years since its launch, The Inventory has evolved from a humble side hustle into what it is today - an eponymous label whose pieces are not only recognisable but occupy some of the most unique and elevated homes, globally. ...

Nature has always inspired design. From Royère to McQueen and many other designers across fashion and interiors (all of them wildly different but equally impressive) it has been the single most important source of inspiration - an endless resource that incites awe for...

Post-pandemic, we’ve all changed. For some, it may feel subtle but collectively, there is an obvious and monumental shift in our psyches that has found visual expression in the creative domains - in art, fashion and interiors. It’s a turn...

Like any creative discipline, interior design is about experimentation and discovery - an artistic process through which ideas are explored but also rejected; a process that is developed through time and finesse. For every good idea there are many more...